Guidance

The review proposal for this guidance is open for consultation from 9:00 am on 24 January to 9:00 am on 21 February 2018.

NICE published 'Inadvertent perioperative hypothermia' (NICE guideline CG65) in April 2008, which recommends that each patient undergoing anaesthesia should be assessed for risk of inadvertent perioperative hypothermia and forced air warming used where indicated to keep patients warm. The medical technology guidance does not supersede the guideline recommendations on pre- or perioperative warming. It also does not update the guideline with respect to the recommendation about forced air warming as a cost-effective use of resources. However, it does, for this product, update the recommendation for further research on the use of different warming devices. When considering new investment in warming devices, consideration should be given to whether use of the Inditherm patient warming mattress would be beneficial.

Implementation

NICE has developed tools, in association with relevant stakeholders, to help organisations put this guidance into practice.

Your responsibility

This guidance represents the view of NICE, arrived at after careful consideration of the evidence available. When exercising their judgement, healthcare professionals are expected to take this guidance fully into account. However, the guidance does not override the individual responsibility of healthcare professionals to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of the individual patient, in consultation with the patient and/or guardian or carer.

Commissioners and/or providers have a responsibility to implement the guidance, in their local context, in light of their duties to have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations. Nothing in this guidance should be interpreted in a way that would be inconsistent with compliance with those duties.